Reignited: Fury v Usyk 2 Preview and Prediction

When: 12 AM SAST

Oleksandr Usyk (1.66) v Tyson Fury (2.20) (WBA, WBC and WBO Heavyweight Championships)

Back in May, Usyk made history by beating Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999 and the first in the modern four-belt era. David had beaten Goliath, proving the theory that a great big man beats a great smaller man isn’t always true.

He has since vacated the IBF belt, which is now held by Daniel Dubois, but he’s hands down the best heavyweight on the planet, with an undefeated record and victories over contenders to that claim Fury, Dubois and Anthony Joshua.

The first meeting between Usyk and Fury was a classic, a historic sweet science rollercoaster that delivered on the hype and then some.

Fury, at the start of the fight, had the most success anyone’s ever had against Usyk. He used his size and reach advantage to good effect and landed some big shots but was unable to sustain it. Rather, the Ukrainian didn’t allow him to, as he regained momentum at the end of round seven and almost stopped Fury in round nine.

Usyk had control from thereon out, and while Fury did a fantastic job of recovering and getting back into the bout, Usyk led the dance and got his hand raised as a result. It was razor close, though, and I expect the rematch to be as tightly contested.

I also expect both combatants to stick to their guns.

Usyk’s a tactician extraordinaire. He always has been and he always will be. An Olympic gold medalist, the southpaw’s technical nous, ring IQ and masterful movement allow him to outwork and outwit his opponents.

A perfect 22-0 with 14 knockouts, his speed, cardio, intelligence, sophistication and overall ring generalship makes “The Cat” an undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight and a puzzle no one has been able to solve.

At six-foot-three, he gives up six inches in height and seven in reach to Fury and was about 30 pounds lighter than the British behemoth in the first fight.

Despite standing at a massive six-foot-nine, Fury is fleet-footed to the point that it doesn’t make sense for a man his size to move like he does. The big question is, how will he respond to his first-ever loss? Now 34-1-1 with 24 knockouts, he says legacy doesn’t concern him, but as a proud pugilist you know he’s hurting and hell-bent on turning the tables.

“The Gypsy King” is smarter than most give him credit for. He’s incredibly versatile as well and has shown he can win by being a towering technician or an in-your-face bully. He’s also proven he’s always better in rematches, with his legendary trilogy with Deontay Wilder being a prime example.

Having lost by the narrowest of margins, he doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, he has to be more focused and eliminate the showmanship from his performance. In other words, he must be all business this time around.

After being dismissive of Usyk’s power heading into the first fight, he now knows the smaller man can hurt him and will, therefore, be more respectful of that and more defensively responsible, while he’ll have to increase his fitness to ensure he can keep up better.

In another close, high-level and entertaining fight, I see it once again going the distance. Boxing can be shady, and with a Fury win setting up a mega-money trilogy, I won’t be surprised if we get a controversial decision.

Having said that, Usyk showed enough across the board to suggest that he’ll seal the deal again in the sequel, which serves as an early Christmas present for fight fans.   

Prediction: Usyk by decision.
Best Bet: Usyk by decision at 2.70.
Alternative Bet: Usyk at 1.66.